Predictive value of monocyte histocompatibility leukocyte antigen-DR expression and plasma interleukin-4 and -10 levels in critically ill patients with sepsis.

It has been suggested that excessive activation of the anti-inflammatory pathways in sepsis may lead to poor outcome of patients with sepsis. The aim of this study was to test the value of histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR-expression on blood monocytes and plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-4 and -10 in prediction of hospital mortality in patients with sepsis. Sixty-one critically ill patients with sepsis were prospectively enrolled to this study in two university hospital intensive care units. Survivors (n = 41) and nonsurvivors (n = 20) differed significantly in HLA-DR expression at admission: survivors' median 84% (interquartile range 64%-98%) versus nonsurvivors' median 62% (interquartile range 47%-83%, P = 0.025 by Mann-Whitney test). Similarly, the analysis revealed statistically significant differences between survivors and nonsurvivors in admission plasma IL-10 levels and in admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores, but not in IL-4 levels. The areas under receiver operating curves (AUC) showed that both monocyte HLA-DR expression and plasma IL-4 level showed poor discriminative power in prediction of hospital mortality (AUC < 0.70). Only IL-10 levels on days 1 and 2 showed reasonable predictive power (AUCs 0.706 and 0.725, respectively). The highest AUC values were those of APACHE-II (0.786) and admission SOFA score (0.763). In conclusion, APACHE II and SOFA scores on admission showed better discriminatory power than HLA-DR expression and IL-10 and IL-4 levels in prediction of hospital mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Predictive value of procalcitonin and interleukin 6 in critically ill patients with suspected sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein, leukocyte count, D-dimer, and antithrombin III at onset of septic episode and 24 h later in prediction of hospital mortality in critically ill patients with suspected sepsis. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, cohort study in two university hospital intensive care units. PATIENTS: 61 critically ill patients with suspected sepsis. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The outcome measure was hospital mortality. Hospital survivors ( n=41) and nonsurvivors ( n=20) differed statistically significantly on day 1 (admission) in PCT, IL-6, SOFA score, and APACHE II score, and 24 h later in PCT, IL-6, and D-dimer values. AT III, CRP, and leukocyte count did not differ. The areas under receiver operating curves showed reasonable discriminative power (>0.75) in predicting hospital mortality only for day 2 IL-6 (0.799) and day 2 PCT (0.777) values which were comparable to that of APACHE II (0.786), and which remained the only independent predictor of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Admission and day 2 IL-6, and day 2 PCT, and day 2 D-dimer values differed significantly between hospital survivors and nonsurvivors among critically ill patients with suspected sepsis. However, in prediction of hospital mortality, only the discriminative power of day 2 PCT and IL-6 values, and APACHE II was reasonable as judged by AUC analysis (>0.75).

Glove punctures and postoperative skin flora of hands in cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgical gloves are frequently perforated during operations, including heart operations. This infection risk factor is inadequately studied. METHODS: After preoperative hand disinfection and at the end of 116 heart operations, bacterial samples from hands of surgeons, altogether 800 samples, were taken. Glove punctures were examined with water test. RESULTS: Surgeons changed 70 gloves because of breakage during operations. Additionally, 154 of 400 (39%) gloves had holes in postoperative testing. The breakage rate of gloves increased from 30% in operations shorter than 3 hours to 65% when operations were longer than 5 hours. High bacterial counts of the hands were also more common after prolonged operations. CONCLUSIONS: Glove puncture rates and bacterial counts of hands increase with increasing operation time. We recommend changing of both gloves when a puncture is detected. Before donning new gloves, hands should be disinfected.

Fungal infection of the epiglottis simulating a clinical malignancy.

Primary fungal infection of the larynx is rare. We present a case of primary laryngeal invasive fungal infection in a patient with Felty syndrome. The lesion in the epiglottis resembled a malignant process and the whole epiglottis was excised endoscopically. No neoplasia was found and the cultures of the epiglottis grew Candida glabrata. We propose that the diagnosis of laryngeal candidiasis be considered in adult patients with certain predisposing factors, eg, immunodeficiency syndromes, but the possibility of underlying malignancy must be ruled out.

Mediastinitis after more than 10,000 cardiac surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND: Poststernotomy mediastinitis as a complication is rare but disastrous. We assessed incidence, predisposing factors for, and outcome from, mediastinitis after cardiac surgery. METHODS: We studied 10,713 consecutive patients who underwent open-heart surgery from 1990 to 1999 in a tertiary care university hospital using data prospectively recorded in the hospital discharge register, operating room log, and the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery unit register. Those cases with possible mediastinitis were identified from the hospital infection register and discharge register. Patients' charts were reviewed and cases of mediastinitis confirmed based on criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: The overall rate of mediastinitis was 1.1% (120 cases), and higher in coronary artery bypass surgery than in valvular surgery (1.2 vs 0.8%). No trend in incidence was detectable, although surgical patients became progressively older (mean age, 59 to 65 years, p < 0.01), and the proportion of women (from 25% to 31%; p < 0.01) and of patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists score over 3 (from 10% to 81%, p < 0.01) both increased. The rate of mediastinitis was almost twice as high in men (1.2% vs 0.7%, p < 0.01). In three body mass index (BMI) categories (<25, 25 to 30, and >30 kg/m2), rates of mediastinitis were 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.8%. In multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, year, operation type, and perfusion time, the only predictor for mediastinitis was BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Mediastinitis is not diminishing. Larger populations at risk, for example proportions of overweight patients, reinforce the importance of surveillance and pose a challenge in focusing preventive measures.

Co-administration of caspofungin and cyclosporine to a kidney transplant patient with pulmonary Aspergillus infection.

A kidney transplant patient on cyclosporine treatment developed focal pneumonia due to Aspergillus fumigatus. The patient was not able to tolerate amphotericin B deoxycholate and was switched to caspofungin. The patient responded favourably without any evidence of toxicity from concomitant use of caspofungin and cylosporine.